A Grimm Legacy (Grimm Tales) (18 page)

"Unexpected fairy godmothers or mice talking along with the birds would complicate things.
”

Andi relaxed in warm, sudsy bubble bath. The temperature was just the comfortable side of too hot. She piled her curls on top of her head so she could sink until just her nose stuck above the water. The stress and worries of the day melted away.

Tap, tap, tap.

"Go away!"

Tap, tap, tap.

Her eyes snapped open, the dream fading as she peeled her face off the hard wood of her little table. She’d fallen asleep while trying to eat dinner. Blearily eyed, she struggled to find the source of the knocking.

The sharp rap sounded again, and this time Andi saw the source of the tapping at the window—a hand. She staggered across her little room and flipped the latch.

Three faces pressed against the ground and peered in at her. Andi could see the dark had deepened beyond twilight, which was when Lady Wellington finally her released back to her room.

How long had she been asleep?

"Sorry, we know you're tired. We'll make it quick,” Quinn said.

Fredrick held out a small book to her and she gave a sigh of relief, clutching it to her chest.

“It’ll probably be safer in the barn,” Fredrick said quietly. Andi reluctantly passed it back, wanting to hug him, but not being able to reach him, she settled on giving his hand a squeeze. He gripped her hand back and smiled down at her.

“Lady Wellington noticed it was gone.
Fortunately she thinks she misplaced it. I was cleaning her room all afternoon hoping I’d find it,” Andi said.

What Andi didn't bother telling them was Coriander made her do most of the cleaning with a toothbrush, including scrubbing of the toilet. What Andi didn't bother telling
Coriander
was she used her toothbrush.

"Were you able to find the cloak and the shoes?" Andi asked.

"We found them in Lady Wellington's room. That woman is a pig." Dylan shook his head. "My room's not that nasty, and that's saying something. We would have taken those too, but we thought if we did, she’d realize something was up. We'll just have to grab them a little later."

"We did bring you this." Quinn produced a large envelope with a royal crest stamped on the outside
with Lady Wellington's name in fancy script scrolling across the front. The envelope was sealed.

Andi flipped it over curiously. "What is it?"

"That’s a dummy invitation to the king's feast,” Quinn said.

"She spent all day on it." Dylan nudged her gently. "Asking questions in town and gathering supplies. It should be pretty authentic looking."

“Where did you learn to do this?” Andi asked, with a mystified expression on her face.

Quinn looked slightly sheepish
. “It’s not uncommon for Indian families to pass down their calligraphy skills to the next generation.” She rolled her eyes with a wry smile. “Dad couldn’t have cared less, but my
daadi
insisted I learn. The few times I saw her when I was a child are tainted by horrible memories of sitting in her stuffy kitchen, bent over a sheet of paper for hours while my brothers got to play outside.” Quinn gave a little smile and shrugged. “It’s been awhile, but my fingers remembered what to do.”

"Where is this going to send them?" Andi waved the envelope like a fan.

"Let's just say somewhere your step-family will have a hard time making trouble,” Dylan said with an impish grin.

"Just make sure you're the one to get the real invitation, then you can just hand that one off to the evil stepmother,
” Quinn said.

"Evil stepmother is an understatement,
” Andi scowled.

"You
running around covered in cinders is slightly amusing, though. Otherwise we would have left long ago,” Dylan said, reaching through the window and tweaking one of her curls.

Andi batted at his hand. "Yeah, I figured.
”

"Goodnight, Andi,
” Fredrick said.

"Tomorrow will be better,
” Quinn told her.

Andi awoke as the sunlight tracked across the room from her tiny window, landing on her makeshift bed. She looked out the window with alarm. She didn't know exactly how late it was, but she knew it was too late for Lady Wellington to allow her to sleep. Had they been calling for her and she hadn't heard?

She threw on her filthy dress from the day before and, making sure the false invitation was tucked in her pocket, took the stairs two at a time. She pushed at the door at the top of the stairs, but it didn
’t budge. Wondering if she was making a mistake, she banged on it with her fist and waited.

A key twisted in the lock, the bolt clicked, and one of the kitchen maids swung the door open, and darting away without a word. Andi slipped into the room. It was deserted, but the hum of activity cam
e from behind the kitchen door.

"And where have you been, girly?" Ann glared at her over the bread dough she was kneading but failed to make Andi believe she was angry.

"Why didn't anyone wake me? Where is everybody?" Andi turned in a bewildered circle.

"They're sleeping,
” Ann said shortly.

"Still?" Andi squinted out of the window at the bright sun, climbing still higher in the sky. "Are they feeling okay?"

Ann beat the dough into conformity. "Couldn't say, although I'm not one to be questioning the small miracles that come my way. Their sleep does seem unnatural, if you ask me. Like someone slipped them a pill or a potion." Ann looked up from her dough and raised her eyebrows, waiting.

Andi brought her eyebrows together, confused.

Ann just said gruffly, "You may as well sit down and have a proper breakfast while you can."

She nodded to the stove and Andi helped herself to a heaping bowl of mush she supposed was porridge. With a little cream and a few strawberries Ann smuggled her from the garden, it was heavenly.

A faint pounding sounded through the house just as she finished breakfast. She froze and listened, like a frightened deer. The pounding came again, and this time she was positive it was from the front door. She launched herself out of her seat, knocking it over, and shot out of the kitchen, nearly careening into one of the other servants yelling, "I've got it!"

Andi yanked open the door, startling a young man in fancy livery bearing a crest matching the one on the fake invitation.

The stranger collected himself, straightened the short red jacket he wore and asked, "Is the lady of the house home?"

"Sorry," Andi replied a bit breathless. She took a deep breath, trying to slow down and calm her nerves. "That is, she
’s still asleep. Can I give her a message?"

The young man handed over an envelope identical to the one Quinn gave her last night with a flourish. "Please see she receives this as soon as possible." With a sharp bow, he turned on his heel and was gone.

Andi whipped the envelope into the opposite pocket and spun around, triumphant at having intercepted it so smoothly. There at the bottom of the stairs, dazed, was Lady Wellington.

"Who was that?" Her eyes were unfocused and she put a hand against the wall, swaying slightly.

"He delivered this." Andi thrust her hand in her pocket and held out the invitation Quinn prepared the night before, praying Lady Wellington hadn't been standing there long.

She took the envelope in a limp hand and flipped it to the back where the king
’s distinctive seal begged to be recognized. Bringing her other hand up to clutch the letter as if strangling it, her face paled.

With a wrench, she tore open the envelope and let the pieces flutter to the floor. Lady Wellington held the contents reverently in her hands as her eyes skipped quickly across the page. Her face lit up in a wild grin and it was a moment before she noticed Andi still standing there expectantly.

"You," she locked on Andi like a target, "bring up the breakfast trays. Now!" Without another glance, she skipped up the stairs as fast as her kitten heels would allow, all the while squealing, "Girls, up! You'll never believe what arrived this morning!"

Andi dashed back to the kitchen where she tore open the letter the footman had delivered.

Ann watched warily from across her dough. "Where did you—oh, I don't want to know, I do not want to know."

Andi ignored her and read the invitation out loud:
 

Queen Gisela

requests your presence at a feast in honor of her son,

Prince Wilhelm,

on the tenth day of September

at the Habsburg Palace.

Dinner at 8:00, dancing to follow.

Andi glanced up at Ann, who had stopped halfway through a smack on the dough. "What’s today?"

"They haven't hosted a feast in 50 years." Ann
’s eyes hadn't moved from the invitation.

"Ann! What day is it?" Andi said.

Ann blinked. "Friday the tenth, I believe."

"Cyn-thi-a! Where-are-the-breakfast-trays?" Lady Wellington's shrill voice punched each word, her voice echoing down the stairs.

"I forgot!" Andi launched into action, trying to figure out how she was going to carry up three trays at once.

Ann thrust two trays in her hands and Quinn was suddenly standing in front of her with the third.
She was dressed in an apron and cap, her long hair braided and tucked out of the way. Andi was half curious, half alarmed to see it now hung down to her knees.

“What—?" Andi began, but Quinn placed a finger to her lips and bumped her gently with her hip to get her going. She trailed Andi silently up the stairs, keeping her cap pulled low and her head down.

Andi reached Coriander's door first. Hushed voices drifted over the threshold, the tone secrets reside in. She paused and tried to listen. Quinn leaned in too.

"...don't see the point." Coriander's gruff tones floated out into the hall.

"We know that Cynthia always managed to weasel her way into the prince’s good graces when she was here. We both know that is
not
Cynthia." Lady Wellington's voice was barely a whisper.

"So you're saying
we might have a real chance at the prince?" Portia chimed in.

"I'm saying
she doesn't know anything and will have none of Cynthia's tricks up her sleeve." Lady Wellington's voice dripped with acid. "So you might be best employed making yourself presentable, if either of you have any inclination of someday being the queen."

Standing on the other side of the door, Quinn raised a silent eyebrow at Andi as if to say, "That's what they think."

A crash sounded and the door flung open. Portia catapulted down the hall toward her own room, mowing over Andi in her rush. She didn't even glance at the two girls. Andi stuck her head in Coriander's room to find her upending her wardrobe all over her bed.

She screamed abuse at her silk dresses and acres of accessories doing a very poor job of appearing acceptable. Lady Wellington watched impassively. Suddenly, it seemed, Coriander had no difficulty using her ankle.

"Breakfast?" Andi asked.

Lady Wellington gave her a bored look. "Aren't you a dear? Just set it there, you can bring Portia's to her room."

Andi wasn't quite sure how to take the civil tone. "What's going on?" she asked as Coriander hurtled articles of clothing around the room.

"Oh, we just received an invitation to... a fundraiser. Last minute nuisance, really. They're usually quite boring." Lady Wellington studied her reflection in the mirror, patting her hair. "But one must make an appearance at these things
, you know. Cindy," her voice was honey coated now, "would you be a saint and help the girls get ready?"

Andi's gaze darted to
the door, trying to plan her escape. "Sure," she said slowly.

Lady Wellington rose grandly to her feet like she wore a queen
’s gown instead of a robe. She wrapped it around her more tightly and sashayed out of the room. "I'd better get ready too. Come see me in five minutes, I'm going to need someone to air out my gown."

Andi nodded dumbly. Lady Wellington drifted past Quinn
, whose head was ducked so low all you could see was her cap. The evil stepmother didn’t even flick her eyes in Quinn’s direction.

"What was with them this morning?" Andi asked Quinn, making their way down the hallway at a slow crawl, holding a whispered conversation. "They slept in so late, and when they did get up, they were really groggy. It was like they were drugged."

"Oh, that,” Quinn said, shifting the tray in her arms. “Dylan may, or may not have, found some horse tranquilizers in the barn. And he may, or may not have, dissolved one in their wine last night."

Andi gaped
, but her shock was quickly replaced by a grin that spread over her face to match Quinn’s broad smile. She got a case of the giggles so badly, it was several seconds before she could move at all.